Lit candle causes house fire in McKinleyville

MCKINLEYVILLE- There was a house fire in McKinleyville Thursday night. Officials said a lit candle may be to blame for a teen’s second degree burns. Arcata fire said a woman and her teenage daughter fell asleep while leaving a candle burning next to a bedroom nightstand. The woman reportedly woke up to the sound of her fire alarm and noticed smoke in the house. Fire crews said the candle melted over and caught the nightstand on fire which then spread to the mattress and nearby walls.

When firefighters arrived they found the occupants trying to fight the fire themselves by using a garden hose and buckets of water. The teen sustained second-degree burns to her foot while her mother sustained a laceration to the hand.